Microsoft Excel can provide real-time stock data
Your spreadsheet can provide up-to-the-minute info.
You might use Excel to track your budget, but your investments? That's less likely when stock prices change from moment to moment. Now, though, you don't have to think much about it. Microsoft has teamed with Nasdaq and market info provider Refinitiv to bring real-time stock data to Excel spreadsheets in Office 365. Type in a stock symbol, click Stocks and you can fill cells with real-time data like the price, last trade times and 52-week highs or lows. They can be used in formulas, too.
Excel also supports a wider range of data as part of the expansion, including bitcoin, bonds, foreign currencies and company info. You could already pull in more stationary data for mutual funds and other stock indexes like the Dow Jones and S&P 500.
The feature is available now. Microsoft characterizes it as "just the beginning," though. Eventually, you'll have access to historic data and automatic price updates every few minutes. You might soon have a living spreadsheet that reflects exactly what's happening to your portfolio.
